The ubiquity of personal computers in recent years has led to their introduction as part of the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools across the nation. Originally, the size and cost of personal computers led school systems to establish centralized computer laboratories in much the same way colleges provided centralized calculator laboratories in the 1950's and 1960's. Students would be scheduled for a computer literacy course and would physically present themselves to the computer lab. There, students would share the computers as time allowed.
As laptop computers became more powerful and less costly, schools realized that full size computers were no longer required for computer literacy courses. Therefore, school focus shifted from the centralized computer laboratory to providing a limited number of laptop/portable computers that could be shared among the students. These laptop computers could be moved from classroom to classroom at the appropriate time. This change of focus provided several benefits: (a) a dedicated computer laboratory was no longer required, (b) physical space occupied by the same number of computers was significantly reduced, (c) extensive power distribution systems for a multitude of computer terminals and peripherals in a computer laboratory were eliminated, and (d) student learning time was maximized. However, now 20 to 30 laptop computers must be transported from one classroom to another. Thus, mobile cabinets were developed to provide a convenient means of storing and transporting a significant number of laptop computers.
Initial entries into the laptop computer cabinet market were primarily mobile storage cabinets with a number of bins to provide a means of safely storing and transporting 20 to 30 laptop computers. In this instance, the computer batteries would be charged at a central station. Later versions were poorly designed by providing a single computer storage compartment on the lower shelf of the cart with access along one side that required a teacher to bend over sufficiently to retrieve a computer. Electrical power to charge the computer batteries was routed from a power strip located on an upper shelf with the power converter-to-computer cables randomly routed to the computer storage compartment. As each computer manufacturer desires to limit the use of their own power converter to their own brand of computer, the converter-to-computer connector plug varies considerably between brands, and even within brands, to assure that only the correct voltage and amperage are provided to a given computer. With from 20 to 30 computers in one cabinet, the maze of wires from the power converters to the computers has created a significant problem in matching the appropriate power converter with its computer.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a mobile storage and charging system for a multitude of portable computers that simplifies matching the computer with its appropriate power converter.